Each day I think, cannot possibly be more lovely. I won’t bore you with pictures yet, that day will come!
Today was my first full day with Leo Leydon. He survived! Was it life changing for him, I can only imagine, it was for me, as is every day here.
We started with the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary and passage tombs. A short walk around a sacred area with structures so 5-6 thousand years old. Then the Blarney began. Would you like to hike up this hill, just about a half a kilometer? Sure, I say, I’m game to try anything. So, we start our trek. Not too bad, but I’m looking up, how could this be just a half a kilometer? So we walk and chat as the hill gradually inclines, and then inclines more. We stop and I catch my breath. (This would be the first of MANY breath catching stops.) All the while he would say, just a few more stops (not steps) and we’ll be there. You will not believe the view. Up we go. (Now, imagine all he is saying, with the Irish accent, now you understand, just a few more stops is believable!) So, we get to the top, the view is good, I see up close the passage tomb. Now he says, let’s climb to the top of the tomb, the views are amazing of the sea and lakes and mountains. In my head, I am saying ‘FOR FECK SAKE! But, those words don’t come out, I say ‘but the sign says ‘no climbing on the tomb’. He says ‘everyone does it, you’ll be glad you did’. So up we go, even steeper.
I MADE IT, I have the pictures to prove it. It was the magical part of this day, now he says ‘I know you were thinking, for feck sake’. HA HA HA, he had me!!
That hike took the better part of the day, we then traveled country roads that all I could think of was ‘dad would have loved this ride’. We saw ruins of homes, abbeys, crazy colored houses, sheep, horses, dogs running along side the car, sheep, donkeys, lambs and more lambs, lakes, crazy road signs, mountains, oh, and did I mention sheep?
One other stop today was to a woodcarver. The most unassuming shop. Pieces of wood, sawdust on the floor. The smell of fresh cut wood and carvings of mythical figures and some not quite mythical. He gave me his ‘card’ a handwritten paper that says this:
Michael Quirke The Woodcarver and Wordweaver
He was both, and did both very well. He told me stories and carved a piece of wood while he talked. It was a simple carving of Bailey. With my Irish name on the back ‘Aine’. Another lovely gentleman, definitely a wordweaver.
Our last stop was at Glencar Waterfall. This time the walk was very easy. Peaceful, listening to the water rush by, watching it as it cascaded to the stream below. There is something so serene in that.
Back to the B & B to rest up a wee bit before dinner.
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